My Way, No. 21

*If you’re new to my blog, you may want to read this for info on what ‘My Way’ posts are all about. 🙂 *

— Wow! I am not a big fan of palm oil, as it’s not the healthiest thing for you…but, I hadn’t a clue as to some of the other problems associated with it. For one, “Human rights abuses continue to be reported: child labor, slavery and abuse of palm oil plantation workers (as in some of the workers are locked up at night so they can’t escape.)” Check out the entire post on Mrs. Green’s World website here: Palm Oil vs Rainforests (The Winner Might Surprise You).

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This week, I had a chance to mingle at a Women Build Happy Hour hosted by Habitat for Humanity Tucson. The pink hard hat women got happy at La Cocina restaurant (one of my faves, perhaps I’ll post a few pics from there soon). Habitat’s National Women Build Week is May 4th – 9th if you would like to volunteer. Habitat has many locations, so you may try to locate one in your area (if you do not reside in Tucson). The builds are, of course, a great way to give and love others. Even if you do not own a home of your own, you can sow a seed of kindness helping families in your community. I know you will reap the benefits in many ways! Volunteering is great fun and provides opportunities for social connection, possibly building relationships along with the homes. Get the scoop here: Habitat for Humanity Tucson Women Build.

— Lots of food goodness updates this time, so I hope you can bear with me 🙂 . I made the Homemade Ketchup I posted (just slightly altered with what I hand on hand: I added onion powder & a bit of salt, used fresh tomatoes and tomato paste, and used the slow cooker). I decided to make a grainy honey mustard, as well.

I’ve found many commercial mustards can contain quite a bit of sodium. So, if you’re interested, here’s a simple homemade mustard recipe without added salt or sugar: Homemade Mustard Condiment Recipe | eatandgetmoving.wordpress.com.

I love the bulk herbs and spices at my local food co-op, so that’s where I purchased my mustard seeds. Great way to get just as much as you need, and your pantry will not become a home for orphaned 1-time-use flights of fancy, lol. I’ve read several bloggers saying they had a problem with that.

Speaking of my food co-op, Food Conspiracy…Spotted: These 2 & 3-tiered stainless food carrier tins and bamboo utensils. Fab & Functional.

Here’s that pic of the Moroccan Tofu w/ Apricots, Olives, & Almonds I wrote about in my last ‘Market‘ post (subbing kumquats for the apricots, pignoli for the almonds).

Served with quinoa, millet, and amaranth (cooked in stock). I added a little balsamic to the sauce and went for a real sweet & tart version (as suggested in the recipe). I didn’t have baked tofu, though, so I had to pan-sear it. A really simple, quick, and delish dish.

Quick, rolled up whole wheat puff pastry dough from this ‘My Way‘ post was a fast, friendly version, indeed. I actually kind of merged the 2 recipes from that post. I became distracted and did not follow the instructions as I should have, though. These things require a lot of concentration for me, lol. Anyway, I tested my less-than-perfect dough on a roasted garlic-black olive tapenade comb (I gave most of it to my mom). It broke in half as I was going to snap a pic. Not a good day, haha!

Even after a few blunders, I think this will work OK for a few recipes. Very flaky! It’s in the freezer for now. I cannot have a lot of butter, so I will have to use it sparingly.

2 Words: Pickled Jalapeños. What? Why have I not made these before? I pickle all sorts of things, but jalapeños were left to be dried or frozen. As I wanted to make the One-Pan Jalapeño Kale & Roasted Garlic Egg Scramble, I got on making a batch. I used vin, water, and just a pinch of something sweet for the pickling.

I’ve prepared this recipe at least 7 or 8 times now and love it. I made it with mozz and mushrooms w/ smoked salt the first couple of times. I am leaving out the cheese now (I need to eat it sparingly, like butter) and am adding a bit of green bell pepper along with the mushrooms. Don’t we all love one-pan dishes!

I think Chocolate Lovers will swoon over this recipe for Chocolate & Cherry Gemelli w/ Orange Creme Anglaise and Brandy-Soaked Cherries (also from the last ‘Market‘ post):

You could even try making your own chocolate or cherry pasta, if you are unable to find any in your area. I improvised a little and used dessert wine-spiked Noosa Honey Yogurt vs. anglaise. As you know, chocolate desserts are not my fave. What made this more acceptable to me was the finish of orange zest alongside the chocolate pasta. That did the trick for me. I also used cacao nibs and frozen cherries (instead of the white choc and dried cherries called for). This was very filling, so I could only eat about half of it in one sitting. Not a terribly terrific presentation, but here’s a pic (I’ll do better next time 🙂 ):

— This is a cute DIY idea, fabric spray painting a silhouette:
spraypaint a t-shirt | SMASHING SILHOUETTES | Pinterest.

This collage illustrates making the most of one piece by switching up the accessories. Great way to stretch your fashion budget dollars:
classy country | Classy vs. Country – polyvore | Clothing I Like | Pinterest.

But, who says you can’t be country and classy at the same time 😉 ?

— I meant to post this a while back and forgot. I found this post Self-Publish with Books from Blurb on the Lavender and Lovage website. Blurb is an independent publishing platform. Turn your hobby into a book! You can create and design a recipe book, craft book, story of your children’s lives, a novella…so many options. Great gift idea for Mother’s or Father’s Day.

— I love little succulents. They are all over the place in Arizona and pretty easy to maintain for most people (though, I did manage to send a few in my office to the sweet by-and-by. I took a vaca for a few days, and they had departed by the time I returned). These copper caps are far more adorable than the generic terra-cotta pots many come in:
MY DIY | Copper Cap Succulent Holder | I SPY DIY.

— Today’s fab recipes:

Prabha’s Cooking: Cashew Pakoda/Pakora. (Besan flour is gram/dried chickpea flour).

Toddler Friendly Recipes the Whole Family Can Enjoy | musthavemom.com.

Chipotle Cheeseburger Flatbread Melts | keviniscooking.com.

Take your pick: Vegetarian Starter Recipes | Great British Chefs.

Whiskey, Caramel, Marshmallow, and Bacon Bark | endlesssimmer.com.

Negronez Cocktail w/ Campari Ice Cubes | 10th Kitchen.

See you next time!

My Way, No. 14

*If you’re new to my blog, you may want to read this for info on what ‘My Way’ posts are all about. 🙂 *

— It’s been a homemade condiment week! I love to look at recipes for homemade condiments, but I usually end up making them with the ingredients I have on hand. I did go ahead and make mirin as I posted about last week. I’ve yet to use it on anything, but I am sure I will re-make the sesame seed tofu (and hopefully salmon, as the recipe originally called for). I didn’t boil the entire mixture, I just added my syrup to my sake:

The great thing about making mirin is that you can enjoy the leftover sake when you’re done! After having those awesome Sriracha Garlic Knux at Maker House, I set about making a whole wheat version. I merged ingredients and concepts from about 4 or 5 pizza dough recipes. Perhaps I will post my actual recipe at some point, but I would like to test it out a few more times. In the meantime, I thought I would link you to a Homemade Lacto-Fermented Sriracha recipe. I just found this and have never thought to do a lacto-ferm version. Anyway, I added parm & garlic to the dough, then basted it with a Siracha-Extra Virgin-Garlic Oil, and finished with a little parm, smoked sea salt, and red pepper flakes. I would have loved butter, but my body has been averse to it (and I was trying to keep it a bit healthier). I was pushing it with the cheese, but it was a small amount per roll. One recipe I gleaned from said a bit of smoked salt can give pizza dough a ‘brick-oven’ appeal, so I thought, ‘why not try it?’ I didn’t have smoked salt, though, so I had to smoke the sea salt I had in the pantry. Maker House had a nice thick ranch they served with them, but I just dipped them in a little extra of the Sriracha Oil. It was a great accompaniment to the Spinach, Red Lentil, and Sweet Potato Curry I made again this week:

I decided to make an individual portion this time, but the pan is almost like 2 servings (with bread) because it’s so filling. Again, I added a little kale and had to improv the curry ingredients. Really a quick and delish dish! More condiment making for Game Day: BBQ Sauce. Yay for my 2nd fave football team winning the Bowl (the first, of course, being the Giants)! After preparing the tofu Fajita Salad with Chipotle Ranch Dressing, I had a bit of the chipotle in adobo leftover. So, I thought BBQ was in order. I made a “kitchen sink” BBQ with just about anything I could get my hands on, adjusting and tasting as I went. I especially love fresh or dried fruits in BBQ sauce. I added a little orange zest to the Sicilian Roasted Potatoes (with a mix of Yukons, Reds, and Sweet Potatoes) this past week and loved it…so, I thought I would add a bit to the BBQ. I cooked the sauce stove top this time, but I love the slow cooker for a big batch. The BBQ went on roasted garbanzos and these BBQ Garbanzo and Brown Rice Tacos with Dried Figs, Pistachios, and Raisins:

Finished with more orange zest. I made the corn tortillas with a press and baked some for ‘hard shells.’ I Misto the baked ones and use a mold so they stay open. It was tricky getting the taco to stand up for the pic, lol. I also cut a few of the soft ones for chips. I made some plain (served with lacto-ferm salsa verde) and brushed BBQ on a few. I Misto’d them, then baked them off in cast iron pans. I cook the plain ones on only one side, but I prefer to cook the seasoned ones on both:

— If you are renting and want to create a bit of personalized style, check out this link on Decorating Ideas for Renters. And, love this link for 15 Shower Curtain Projects, including using a painter’s drop cloth and turning any curtain into a shower curtain.

— I love vintage-style full aprons. There’s no reason why you can’t look stylish while dicing potatoes! I think you could easily make one similar to this black and white damask apron with just iron-on fabric tape (if you do not machine sew, like myself). I have a friend who cleared out her closet and only has clothing that is black, white, or black and white. She said this was an attempt at simplifying her life. She doesn’t have to concern herself with the items matching or not, haha. Even though black is not my color (on top, anyway), I admit to using the black-and-white-clothing-simplification method all the time now. If you have procrastinated and haven’t planned your outfits for the week…just grab something black and white. It goes from cas to business to formal very easily.

— Baby Chicks Have Left-Right Number Bias Like Humans.

— A few mental health articles that touched me this past week: http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/01/nj_assembly_acts_to_let_teens_seek_mental_health_t.html, http://montreal.ctvnews.ca/sloppy-word-selection-feeds-mental-health-stigma-expert-1.2206217, and http://globalnews.ca/news/1797926/watch-coffee-shop-in-north-vancouver-offers-employment-and-hope-to-people-with-mental-illness/.

— I adore this picture:

Click on the pic or this link to take you to: Dr. Kathleen Young: Treating Trauma in Tucson | Mindful Monday.

— As always, I like to include a few tantalizing recipes that have come my way: Root Veggie Crisps in a Crispy Pancake Bowl (looks fun!), Roasted Makhana, Cheesy Greek Swirls, Mussels, Bacon, and Brie Tartlets, Cold Busting Coconut Gummies (cute & healthy!), Beef and Blue Cheese Risotto. I had a nice 1/2 iced tea & 1/2 lemonade with Bourbon for Game Day, so I thought I would look for other tea cocktails: Chamomile Honey Whiskey Cocktail. 15 Easy and Low Calorie Healthy Fruit Desserts.

Have a wonderful day, and I’ll see you next time!